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U.S. fights self in Syria while Russia helps Syria free Palmyra

The United States, depending our your viewpoint, is either the Keystone Cops Meets Dumb and Dumber or amoral war pigs fighting because it means profits and job security to the monied class, its vassal D.C. policy wonks and politicians, and defense contractors. Because how else does one explain the psychosis of CIA-backed militias fighting Pentagon-backed militias in Syria?

Meanwhile, Russia helped Assad regain Palmyra. Russia did this, I’m guessing, by choosing allies and sticking with them, by not changing tactics and strategies the way most of us change socks, and by treating it like a war and not a conflict with ever-changing rules about who and what can be fought against. Putin and Assad just made the U.S. look silly and inept.

The fighting has intensified over the last two months, as CIA-armed units and Pentagon-armed ones have repeatedly shot at each other while maneuvering through contested territory on the northern outskirts of Aleppo, U.S. officials and rebel leaders have confirmed.

Palymra.

Syrian forces, backed by lots of Russian air strikes and Lebanese militias, managed to drive the Islamic State out of Palmyra on Sunday in what was seen as a big victory for President Bashar al-Assad

And the U.S. couldn’t even be gracious about it. A State Dept spokesperson just couldn’t say IS being driven out of Palmyra was a good thing.

Not necessarily, according to the US State Dept. Watch below as spokesman Mark Toner tries to explain to reporters why it may be better if ISIS holds onto its territory. “You know I mean look… broadly speaking …. you know… it’s not a great choice… an either/or… but… you know…”

He did manage to say Assad was the lesser evil. Which is true. And the spokesperson sounded petulant because other countries were simply not doing things the way the U.S. wishes they would.